王翰
七言绝句
Character Explanations
Click on a character in the poem to display its explanation here.
葡
"grape (pútáo)". 葡萄 "grape".
萄
"grape". 葡萄美酒 "fine grape wine".
美
"beautiful, excellent". 美酒 "fine wine".
酒
"wine, alcohol". 美酒 "fine wine".
夜
"night". 夜光杯 "luminous night cup".
光
"light, brilliance". 夜光杯 "luminous jade cup".
杯
"cup, glass". 夜光杯 "precious cup".
欲
"to want, about to". 欲饮 "about to drink".
饮
"to drink". 欲饮 "on the verge of drinking".
琵
"pipa (pípá)". 琵琶 "pipa", a lute.
琶
"pipa". 琵琶 "the lute" that resonates.
马
"horse". 马上 "on horseback, atop horses".
上
"on, atop". 马上 "from the mounts".
催
"to urge, hasten". 马上催 "urges (to depart for battle)".
醉
"drunk". 醉卧 "lying drunk".
卧
"to lie, recline". 醉卧沙场 "lying drunk on the battlefield".
沙
"sand". 沙场 "battlefield (sandy terrain)".
场
"field, terrain". 沙场 "battlefield".
君
"you, friend". 君莫笑 "do not laugh, friend".
莫
"do not (imperative)". 莫笑 "do not mock".
笑
"to laugh, mock". 莫笑 "do not laugh".
古
"ancient, long ago". 古来 "since ancient times".
来
"to come; up to now". 古来 "of all time".
征
"military expedition". 征战 "wars".
战
"combat, war". 征战 "to go to war".
几
"how many". 几人回 "how many have returned?".
人
"man, soldier". 几人回 "how many men".
回
"to return". 几人回 "how many have come back?".
Literal Translation
Fine grape wine in a luminous night cup;
We are about to drink—but the pipa, from atop the horses, urges departure.
If I lie drunk on the battlefield, friend, do not laugh:
Since ancient times, of those who went to war, how many have returned?
Historical Context and Biography
This poem, 凉州词 (), "Liangzhou Melody," set to a tune of the western marches, blends the revelry of a military banquet with the tragic awareness of death in battle.
Literary Analysis
Structure and Form
A quatrain of seven characters. The first two lines depict a lavish feast interrupted by the call to battle; the last two shift to clear-sighted defiance.
Imagery and Symbolism
The grape wine, jade cup, and pipa evoke an exotic West and celebration; the "sandy field" immediately recalls the war at hand.
Movement and Gesture
The suspended gesture of raising the cup to one's lips, cut short by the urgency of departure, dramatizes the contrast between pleasure and duty.
Language and Tone
Colorful and sonorous language; the tone, initially festive, takes on a heroic and resigned irony in the face of death.
Main Themes
War and Death
The final question reminds us that few soldiers return from distant campaigns.
Heroic Carpe Diem
Facing probable death, one drinks and enjoys the moment without regret.
Exoticism of the Frontiers
Grape wine, jade cup, and pipa give the poem the color of the western marches.
